


Warning Lables

by 1000PaperCranes



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Rescue Bots
Genre: Domestic Disputes, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, buried secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 21:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13443624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1000PaperCranes/pseuds/1000PaperCranes
Summary: And the treacherous truth that life doesn't come with them.Kade and Hayley have an argument.  It does not end well.





	1. New Hurts

Kade followed Haley as she stormed out of the firehouse. Heatwave didn’t know what they were arguing about, but it was probably Kade’s fault. The guy was usually really sweet to his girlfriend, but he was bound to put his foot in it at least some of the time. The fireman’s face was pink-hot, but his eyes were more concerned than hard.

“Hayley!”

“No, Kade.” She didn’t turn around, and he threw his hands in the air.

“I do everything you ask me to! Can’t you just cut me some slack?”

Hayley shot a glare over her shoulder, not slowing down. “I cut you some slack! I’m the only girl on this island giving you a second chance after what you did to Brenda!”

Kade stumbled to a stop. The color dropped out of his face, leaving the redhead frighteningly pale beneath a splatter of freckles Heatwave usually had to spectrograph to see. “I didn’t do anything to Brenda.”

Hayley whirled around, face ugly with disgust. “Oh, come on, Kade! Everyone knows what you did at that party!”

“You weren’t at that party,” Kade growled, rage seeping onto his face. “You wanna know what happened at that party?” He towered over the blonde woman, unrecognizable, voice loud and dangerous, but no longer screaming. “I got drunk. I got raped. Then I called my Dad, to _help_ Brenda!”

Hayley blinked, the admission startling her out of her fury. “Kade…” She stepped forward, taking his wrist.

“ _No_.” Kade stayed livid. “ _Let go_.” When she ignored him, face turning hard, he set his large hand in the middle of her chest… and pushed.

Hayley stumbled back and as Kade turned and stalked away, toppled to the floor. She blinked at Kade’s retreating back for just a second. “You big bully! Anytime something doesn’t go your way, you take it out on the only people willing to be around you!”

Five minutes ago, Heatwave would have said that was frighteningly true, but now… Things certainly weren’t going Kade’s way, in a very _important_ way. This wasn’t lashing out; Heatwave knew lashing out. The fireman clenched his fists as he raged towards the back door.

“You’ll be sorry you hurt me! No one will ever love you!” Hayley slammed the door behind her.

Kade stopped in the middle of the floor, shaking. Heatwave transformed, approaching the man cautiously. The fight had clearly cost his partner, and when the Cybertronian knelt down, Kade was crying. He didn’t attempt to wipe the tears away, just stood there vibrating with emotion, breathing harshly through his nose.

Kade hiccupped. Heatwave scooped his partner up. He made all manner of soothing hums and vibrations. Pressing his hand against Heatwave’s bright red plating, Kade dragged in a shuttering sob. “ _I trusted her,_ ” the redhead whispered. His fingers flexed, attempting to clutch the broad panel.


	2. Old Wounds

Heatwave had given up cooing at his partner some time ago. Kade kept his ear pressed to the Cybertronian’s chest plates, listening to the sound of energon flowing beneath as he grieved. Heatwave considered his partner as the man slowly calmed. Kade’s face was still wet and flushed, but as his breathing slowed and dried, he began to lick the escaped fluid from his cherry red lips.

Heatwave wasn’t aware of closing his optics as he listened to Kade’s slowing cycles, but the scuff of a boot came as a surprise. Chief Burns looked up at them, hands sternly on his hips, but face becoming uncertain. He let his head hang for a moment, before straightening with a sigh.

“Kade.” Charlie hesitated. “Kade, Hayley says you hit her. Is that true?”

In Heatwave’s arms, Kade began to shake, breath stuck in his chest. Heatwave didn’t know what to say, what to do. Surely, this must be important for the Chief to confront his son when the man was so… vulnerable.

“Chief, if I may.” Chase rolled forward, opening his door in invitation. Heatwave hadn’t realized the blue bot had been there, apparently this whole time.

Charlie Burns raised a brow at the firefighters, but turned aside. “Alright.” He slipped into the driver’s seat, allowing the door to close quietly behind him. Heatwave could only assume that Chase had recorded the altercation. When the Chief reemerged from the patrol car, he was already on the phone. “I don’t know what to do, Scott… Recuse myself? _Gladly_ … You’ll talk to her?... What do you think about this?... Yeah, me too… He’s gotten in a few fights… Until today, I’d never seen him even _look_ harshly at her… She’s gotten pretty mad at him a few times… Not that I’m aware of… You’re recording this, aren’t you?… Yeah,” Charlie chuckled, relief painting his posture. “Thanks for doing this… It’s my job, too… Yeah, alright, not tonight… I’ll record it… Say, hi to Alex and the kids for me. Bye.” Chief Burns leaned back in to look at Chase’s screen. “Chase, make sure there’s no trace of you bots on that footage and upload it to this IP address.” He tossed his phone on the seat. A moment later, he dropped his badge beside it.

The bots watched curiously as Charlie Burns climbed Heatwave’s chasse. He shot Chase a speaking look and the patrol bot flashed his headlights in response. Charlie brushed his fingers through his oldest son’s hair.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Kade opened his eyes, expression desolate.

“I know, son.”

Kade scrunched his eyes closed, a few more tears escaping. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her.” He pressed his face against Heatwave’s mesh, ashamed and trying to hide. His next words were muffled and hot against the fire bot’s finish. “She just wouldn’t let go.”

Charlie thumbed the most recent drips of saline from his son’s cheeks. The young man pressed his burning cheek into his father’s cool palm, face smoothing out, and stormy eyes slowly opening. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

There was silence. Kade chewed on his lip, gray eyes pinching shut harder than ever. The fireman’s whole body started shaking. He gasped a sob. “I was so stupid,” he confessed, sounding nearly drowned. And Heatwave _knew_ that they weren’t talking about Hayley anymore. “I didn’t want you to–”

Charlie pulled his son to his chest. “It’s not your fault,” he promised. “ _It was never your fault_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, pushing someone and refusing to let go of them are both forms of simple assault. Legally speaking, Kade and Hayley come out of this one pretty even.


End file.
